[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 125 (Monday, June 30, 2014)] [Notices] [Pages 36860-36861] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2014-15174] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration [Docket No. FRA 2014-0011-N-13] Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) hereby announces that it is seeking an extension of the following currently approved information collection activities. On May 7, 2014, the Secretary of Transportation issued Emergency Order Docket No. DOT- OST-2014-0067 (EO), requiring affected railroad carriers to provide certain information to the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) for each State in which their trains carrying 1 million gallons or more of Bakken crude oil travel. The information collection activities associated with the Secretary's Emergency Order received a six-month emergency approval from OMB on May 10, 2014. FRA seeks a regular clearance (extension of the current approval for three years) while it is determining the proper course of action to take after a recent series of train accidents involving the transportation petroleum crude oil, a hazardous material the transportation of which is regulated by the Department of Transportation. Before submitting these information collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified below. DATES: Comments must be received no later than August 29, 2014. ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on any or all of the following proposed activities by mail to either: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of Safety, Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 17, Washington, DC 20590, or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 20590. Commenters requesting FRA to acknowledge receipt of their respective comments must include a self-addressed stamped postcard stating, ``Comments on OMB control number 2130-0604.'' Alternatively, comments may be transmitted via facsimile to (202) 493- 6216 or (202) 493-6497, or via email to Mr. Brogan at [email protected], or to Ms. Toone at [email protected]. Please refer to the assigned OMB control number in any correspondence submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in response to this notice in a subsequent notice and include them in its information collection submission to OMB for approval. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 17, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6292) or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493- 6132). (These telephone numbers are not toll-free.) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), Public Law 104-13, sec. 2, 109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised at 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to provide 60-days notice to the public for comment on information collection activities before seeking approval for reinstatement or renewal by OMB. 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 1320.10(e)(1), 1320.12(a). Specifically, FRA invites interested respondents to comment on the following summary of proposed information collection activities regarding (i) whether the information collection activities are necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether the activities will have practical utility; (ii) the accuracy of FRA's estimates of the burden of the information collection activities, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimates; (iii) ways for FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (iv) ways for FRA to minimize the burden of information collection activities on the public by automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology (e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses). See 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)(I)-(iv); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1)(I)-(iv). FRA believes that soliciting public comment will promote its efforts to reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of information mandated [[Page 36861]] by Federal regulations. In summary, FRA reasons that comments received will advance three objectives: (i) Reduce reporting burdens; (ii) ensure that it organizes information collection requirements in a ``user friendly'' format to improve the use of such information; and (iii) accurately assess the resources expended to retrieve and produce information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 3501. Below are brief summaries of three currently approved information collection activities that FRA will submit for clearance by OMB as required under the PRA: Title: Secretary of Transportation Emergency Order Docket No. DOT- OST-2014-0067. OMB Control Number: 2130-0604. Abstract: As noted in the summary above, on May 7, 2014, the Secretary of Transportation issued Emergency Order Docket No. DOT-OST- 2014-0067 (EO), requiring affected railroad carriers to provide certain information to the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) for each State in which their trains carrying 1 million gallons or more of Bakken crude oil travel. This EO is available through the Department's public docket system at www.regulations.gov, under Docket No. DOT-OST- 2014-0067. The EO took effect immediately upon issuance, although affected railroads were permitted 30 days to provide the required information to the SERCs. The EO is the Department's direct and proactive response to a recent series of train accidents involving the transportation of petroleum crude oil, a hazardous material the transportation of which is regulated by the Department. The most recent accident occurred on April 30, 2014, when a train transporting petroleum crude oil derailed in Lynchburg, Virginia and released approximately 30,000 gallons of its contents into the James River. Further, the EO explains that, with the rising demand for rail transportation of petroleum crude oil throughout the United States, the risk of rail incidents has increased commensurate with the increase in the volume of the material shipped and that there have been several significant derailments in both the U.S. and Canada over the last several months causing deaths and property and environmental damage that involved petroleum crude oil. DOT emergency orders are rare and the EO itself describes the most recent accidents and circumstances leading the agency to issue the EO. The collection of information included under this EO is aimed at ensuring that railroads that transport in a single train a large quantity of petroleum crude oil (1 million gallons or more), particularly crude oil from the Bakken shale formation in the Williston Basin, provide certain information to the relevant SERCs in each State in which the railroad operates such trains. Ensuring that railroads provide this information to SERCs is critical to ensuring that local and State emergency responders are aware of the large quantities of crude oil that are being transported through their jurisdictions and are prepared to respond to accidents involving such trains should they occur. Form Number(s): N/A. Affected Public: Businesses. Frequency of Submission: One-time; on occasion. Respondent Universe: 47 Railroad Carriers; 50 State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs). Reporting Burden: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Respondent Emergency order item No. universe Total annual Average time per Total annual (railroads) responses response burden hours ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) RR Notification to SERCs..... 47 120 written 30 hours................ 3,600. notifications. (2) Updated RR Notification to 47 25 updated written 4 hours................. 100. SERCs. notifications. (3) Notification Copies to FRA... 47 10 notification 60 minutes.............. 10. copies. (4) Requests to RRs by SERCs for 47 30 informational 30 minutes.............. 60. Information from Local Emergency assistance Response Agencies Regarding the requests + 30 Volume and Frequency of Train informational Traffic Implicated by this responses. Emergency Order within that Agency's Jurisdiction and RR Responses. (5) Petitions to the Secretary/ 47 4 relief petitions. 2 hours................. 8. FRA Administrator for Relief from This Emergency Order. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Estimated Responses: 219. Total Estimated Annual Burden: 3,778 hours. Status: Regular Review. Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b), 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520. Issued in Washington, DC, on June 24, 2014. Erin McCartney, Acting Chief Financial Officer. [FR Doc. 2014-15174 Filed 6-27-14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-06-P